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The Spectacle Blog
I hate anecdotal evidence. It’s my single greatest annoyance. This goes for those who cherry-pick comments, magnify innocuous incidents, quote out of context, or pretend a single statement made on the campaign trail really amounts to anything more. It drives me bonkers.
I recognize that electoral politics exists on a squirming coil of sound-bite substantiation. But this most recent flap over Romney’s Anglophilia really exhausted my patience. (For the record, he’s got nothing on my father who was birthed in tweed, and hoisted me across the pond so often as child that I could navigate the streets of London better than Philadelphia, the city of my birth. If you’re reading this, Dad, it was always a pleasure.)
For those of you who missed it, the story goes something like this (and with a tip of the hat to Charles M. Blow at the New York Times):
A couple days back, a reporter from the Daily Telegraph cited an anonymous adviser from Romney’s foreign policy staff who said the following:
“We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and [Mitt Romney] feels that the special relationship is special. The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have.”
Cue shock and indignation, right? The paper suggested the comments might prompt accusations of racial insensitivity. But before we leap to conclusions about the political leanings of this particular broadsheet, remember that the Telegraph is Britain’s flagship conservative daily.
Well, this is nonsense. Or bollocks, as the case may be. I won’t waste your time dignifying the ridiculous stretch between an unnamed adviser, speaking on the condition of anonymity, and the linguistic contortion necessary to stretch this into a vague cultural smear on the president. But Romney’s visit suggests that he appreciates this most “special relationship.” Better than Obama? Well, it’s too soon to say, and it would be irresponsible to sum up our nations’ trans-Atlantic connection based on a bust of Churchill. But he’s off to a better start than he’s getting credit for, at the moment.
Over at the American Conservative, Daniel Larison asks, “Who cares?” He hints that a “national security and interest filter” sieves better decisions than a “values continuum” (with thanks to Aaron David Miller for providing the copy). Usually, I’d agree. On those terms alone, the relationship between Great Britain and the United States exceeds values.
However, ideas matter. Concepts matter. History matters. In the discipline of International Relations, there is a school of thought known as constructivism. Without launching into the nitty-gritty of Habermasian communicative action theorists and Foucauldian geneaologists, I’ll sum up the constructivists as follows: scholars in this camp argue that foreign affairs are bounded historically and socially. Ideas and language matter. All institutions are social constructions. As such, a state’s international posture is shaped by its social, cultural and historical identity.
So we can make jokes about Romney sticking to his guns on the “No Apology” diplomacy tour, or tease Obama for begging forgiveness for the Revolutionary War on his next visit to Buckingham Palace. Better yet, we can recognize and admit what the Romney campaign has. Namely, Anglophilia matters when it comes to our relationship with Great Britain. To paraphrase Alexander Wendt, grand Poo-Bah (an allusion to Gilbert and Sullivan seemed apt) of modern constructivism — the structure of human association is formed by shared ideas. Not material forces. In this case, he’s right.
And Larison’s correct to question “why should it matter who has the stronger personal or emotional attachment to another country?” But it’s important to remember that there’s a “construction” to our relationship that binds our identities and interests. The relationship between Britain and America transcends that “national security filter.” And kudos to the Romney camp for having the stones to admit it.
DRed| 7.26.12 @ 6:27PM
Too bad he's done nothing but piss people off on that little island that makes stuff that nobody wants to buy. He got the name of the country wrong, forgot Ed 'Mr. Leader' Millband's name, insulted the job they did preparing for the Olympics, was used as a punchline at an Olympic rally, and got dissed by the Prime Minster. Jolly good show, Mittens. Keep a stiff upper lip, and show that amateur Obama how a true anglo saxon does diplomacy.
Occam's Tool| 7.27.12 @ 1:42PM
DRed: The Brits' security for the Olympics does suck, BIG TIME, and the Israelis are in special danger. As a man who ran a fantastic Olympics, Mr. Romney is in a particularly excellent position to opine.
I'm sure he will do better than Obama with the Brits, because the Bummer is horrible with them.
DRed| 7.27.12 @ 2:57PM
His opinion, at this late a point, is totally worthless. It's not like the British are going to overhaul their security plan the day before the games opened because Mittens ran his mouth. Say Romeny is right (I know nothing about British olympic security)-the diplomatic thing to do is not embarrass your host. Especially when on a visit that's supposed to showcase your diplomatic skill. Every politician makes diplomatic gaffes. It's inevitable. But Mittens manage to cram about a year's worth of screwups into 24 hours.
Reid Smith| 7.26.12 @ 6:30PM
Don't mistake me, I'm not a Romney-phile. I was just searching out a silver lining for those who are.
aware| 7.26.12 @ 6:46PM
Don't even bother, there is no silver lining.
aware| 7.26.12 @ 6:47PM
And I got bad news about the Tooth Fairy, too.
Libertyinfinite| 7.27.12 @ 1:07PM
We could start a civil rebellion against both parties & run Santorum/Bachmann on the Tea Party ticket this year. Other than that, romney will desroy America faster than obama will because he is a sedative & the death of the fight for liberty, against despotism.
Kingofthenet| 7.26.12 @ 6:37PM
Well it's a good news, bad news story: The good news is Seamus's got in NO PROBLEM, the Bad News: The British might have to quarantine Willard for a bad case of 'Foot in Mouth Disease".
Reggie Love| 7.26.12 @ 8:16PM
It doesn't bother me once inch if pantywaist Cameron,Britain's Obama,is angry.
Jake| 7.26.12 @ 10:26PM
Obama and his supporters are still stinging from his multiple stateside blunders.
They're desperately trying to equate Romney's benign comments about potential Olympic security lapses being
" disconcerting " ( and they are ) with
" You didn't build that " and " our plan worked ! "
When Obama was elected, much was written about the special relationship between Obama and Africa because of their common heritage.
" Many of these new African-Americans feel a special connection to Obama, the son of a Kenyan, and hope his presidency will mean closer relations between Africa and the United States. "
"That scene ( African Americans celebrating on election
night ) , more than anything else, dramatized and illuminated the inextricable link that exists between people of African descent in Africa and people of African descent in America," Whitaker said.
"And Obama embodies that link and that connection."
http://www.azcentral.com/arizo.....z21mxDC1ao
Obama's heritage illustrates a special link to Africa and that's fine.
Why is Romney not allowed to illustrate the connections with his ancestors without being called a racist ?
Reggie Love| 7.26.12 @ 10:54PM
The British have had all kinds of failures so far. No gaffe.
Libertyinfinite| 7.27.12 @ 1:14PM
For romney, it's all about him. Look to him America, he is better than obama & other than that, there's nothing wrong that his buddies on wall street can't fix. Pathetic, pathetic, & pathetic. The only thing that romney elicits from the American people is sympathy for the right nominating a liberal at the worst possible time.
He wrote government take over of the health care system, Mitt Romney is liberal. Where is the American spirit? The one that stands for tyranny from no one? Buried under marxist medias, that's where.
A liberal republican won't help us, no thanks.
Occam's Tool| 7.27.12 @ 1:43PM
Romney is not a traitor, who is interested in weakening the United States. Obama is. That makes voting very simple.
DRed| 7.27.12 @ 2:58PM
I'm not a mental health professional, but that opinion is insane.